Ever since the 2022 Jubbly, people have really judged Prince William and Kate’s parenting style. During the Jubilee parade, Prince Louis (then four years old) couldn’t sit still and got visibly overexcited over the course of the hours-long parade. Kate tried to quietly admonish him and settle him down, but he continued to act up, making faces at her, throwing a little tantrum and putting his hand over her mouth. He was just a little kid and no one criticized him, they criticized Kate and William for not knowing what to do to calm him or even temporarily remove him from the parade. After the Jubbly, even Daily Mail columnists criticized Will and Kate for constantly “overexposing” their kids.
Since then, Louis has been included in events like Trooping the Colour, the 2023 coronation and some of last year’s VE Day anniversary events. He goes to Kate’s Together at Christmas concerts, and he also does the Sandringham Christmas morning church-walk. They’re not hiding him away. But they’re also making a point of not including Louis in anything where he would have to sit still for hours at a time. Which is probably why Louis is still not being included for the Wales family’s annual Wimbledon outing. It’s become a real story this year, because Louis is 8 years old now, the same age when George and Charlotte started going to Wimbledon.
Kate Middleton and Prince William made a glamorous appearance on the final day of Wimbledon, but one young family member was missing. On July 12, the Prince and Princess of Wales, both 44, attended the men’s singles finals of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships with their eldest two children, Prince George, 12, and Princess Charlotte, 11.
The couple’s youngest son, Prince Louis, 8, didn’t join, even though his brother and sister made their Wimbledon debuts at the same age.
While the exact reason for Louis not joining is unclear, several factors could be at play. Prince William and Princess Kate may have thought that the match day would have been too long for their youngest son, or space could have been limited in the Royal Box.
Despite its name, invitations to the Royal Box are coordinated by Wimbledon officials, not the British royal family, and the space is used to entertain friends and guests of the prestigious tournament.
As the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club patron, Kate usually takes a seat in the Royal Box during the Wimbledon finals. While she has brought her eldest kids with her, the Royal Box traditionally isn’t a kid-friendly place.
In 1999, The Guardian reported that Katharine, the Duchess of Kent considered boycotting the competition after Wimbledon wouldn’t allow two young family friends, aged 10 and 12, to sit with her in the Royal Box on different days. Organizers ultimately let the 10-year-old boy, her godson, join her, but the 12-year-old boy, who was the son of a bereaved friend, had to sit elsewhere.
Club chairman John Curry later responded in a statement explaining, “As happens every year with all our royal guests, I reconfirmed our guidelines concerning the invitation of additional guests and the subject of children. No royal has been limited to one guest in the past or will be in the future. Because of demand for space in the royal box, we also ask that, apart from children of the royal family, children are not invited as they exclude other worthy people from attending, many of whom contribute to tennis.”
I enjoy the unsubtle attempt to pass the buck onto the All-England club, like maybe they’ve banned Louis from attending Wimbledon, or they told Kate that she could only bring two children (the Wimbledon version of Sophie’s Choice). None of that is true – this is clearly William and Kate making the decision to exclude Louis. Maybe they feel as if Louis still wouldn’t be able to sit still, maybe they’re genuinely concerned about “overexposing” their youngest, I don’t know. I feel a bit bad for Louis, just because it’s clear that he’s treated so differently than his siblings. I have zero faith in William and Kate’s ability to raise their children as equals whatsoever though.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, Backgrid.
